Call for Proposals: Funding of €24.5 Million for New Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes

Although the year 2006 is drawing to an end, the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) has given it yet another interesting facet by launching their second call for proposals for establishing new Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes.

The call was already issued on October 18, and will be open for submission of short proposals until February 16, 2007, at 5 p.m. For this call, the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft provides funds in the total amount of €24.5 million. These funds are designated for a period of seven years, meaning the allocation of a maximum of €3.5 million per year. Of the specific budget allocated to newly established institutes, 60 percent is provided by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft and the remaining 40 percent by the partner organizations.

The aim of this call is to set up Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes oriented to high excellence all across Austria. To facilitate partnerships and synergies, Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes are required to operate with at least three institutional partners. Therefore the LBG addresses scientific and public institutions and NGOs, as well as companies, in their call for proposals. The participation of one or more foreign partners in the consortium is regarded positively, if the added value gained from the international partnership is noticeable and comprehensible, and the strategic center - and therefore the main application of resources - is situated and carried out in Austria.

The appointment of new Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes is the result of a multilevel selection process. The call for proposals starts with the public invitation to submit a short proposal. The incoming short proposals are then reviewed by international experts.

Based on the results of the review, a jury consisting mainly of internationl members will issue a recommendation to the board of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft. Applicants who receive a positive recommendation from the jury will be invited by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft to submit a long proposal. These long proposals are then subjected to another international review. Again a recommendation will be issued by the jury based on the review as well as on an interview with the applicants. Following this recommendation, the board of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft will reach a final decision by mid-November 2007.

The Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft is a non-university research institution with the goal of establishing and funding research institutes (Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes). In 2004 the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft launched its first call for proposals and as a result five new Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes were established.

In this regard the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft is following its new strategy that unites seven core priniciples for the establishment of new Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes. These principles are:

Size: achievement of a "critical mass." That means that newly established Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes should operate with a minimum of 15 employees in the area of medical research and no fewer than 10 in the area of humanities.

Coherent research program: performance of large-scale, long-term, and interrelated research programs as a universal organizational principle.

Translational research: strong emphasis on results applicable in the mid-term, along with definition of problems from the research approach as well as from application and implementation approaches.

Management: a single management responsible for the institute, concentration on research management and staff development as major prerequisites for performance.

Planning security: long-term funding (max. seven years).

Quality assurance/excellence: through a tendering and linked two-stage international evaluation process and establishment of monitoring and review systems during the course.

With this initiative, the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft aims to close structural gaps within research in the area of human medicine as well as in the area of humanities. Modern structures and methods should, in the future, facilitate long-term research programs, results orientation, internationalization, and performance for Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes (management, evaluation, control, results orientation, staff development, careful handling of intellectual property). This will be achieved through the topical approach of the individual institutes as well as the structure of collaboration with partners and the size of the new Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.

Besides the reorientation of the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft with regard to content and structure, it was also necessary to implement a procedure that allows an objective appointment of new Ludwig Boltzmann Institutes. This procedure is put into effect by a public call for proposals and a multilevel selection process.

For more detailed information on the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, please contact:

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